


Agony Aunt of the Multiverse--Blip Edition

by Ecarden



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aftermath, Blip, Consequences, Gen, agony aunt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29525115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecarden/pseuds/Ecarden
Summary: The Agony Aunt of the Multiverse takes letters from people in unusual positions. Here she takes a letter from a woman whose Blip experience was extraordinarily awkward.
Kudos: 1





	Agony Aunt of the Multiverse--Blip Edition

Dear Aunty,

My husband died in the Snap. We’d been trying to have a child. The night after our big party announcing to our friends and family that we were having a child, he snapped out of existence right next to me in bed. It was devastating.

You remember how everything was afterwards. The chaos, the shortages, the riots. Throughout it all, his brother was there for me. We were married three years ago. We had another child. He’s the only father either of my children have known.

You see where this is going, of course.

Only it gets worse.

Well…we never actually moved. Or switched bedrooms.

Or moved the bed.

And…uh it was our anniversary. Me and my second husband, I mean (also, am I guilty of bigamy?).

So, yeah. He rematerialized and we didn’t notice immediately.

Then he punched his brother in the face.

That we noticed.

I mean, I understand, from his perspective he woke up to us cheating on him literally right next to him.

But my oldest kid heard the noise and saw them fighting and yelled for ‘the bad man to get off daddy.’

Yeah.

That put a stop to everything.

And now, I don’t know what to do. My first husband’s job is long gone, he has no money or place to go. But this is our house, I can’t kick him out. His brother doesn’t want to either. We’re okay for money for now (probably? I was getting some survivor benefits and we still have some of his life insurance, but I don’t know what’s going to happen with that).

But our son is scared of him. And I have no idea how to fix any of this.

Help?

Sincerely,

Lost in the Blip

* * *

Dear Lost,

Wow. That’s pretty bad. I’m trying to think of worse, but this even has the bit which usually gets me, the parent who comes back to a kid who doesn’t recognize them.

But you didn’t write to me for commiseration. Let’s start with the easy stuff.

You aren’t in trouble over the bigamy. There’s some legislation going forward on this and there’s an official position by almost all DAs that this isn’t an issue. It really looks like you’re probably going to be able to choose who to stay married too. That seems like the best solution to me too, even though the psychology of it is likely to be killer for you and everyone else involved. But that’s years down the road. For now, I wouldn’t worry about that side of things.

The money…may be a problem. I talked to a lawyer, who after making me sign fifteen pieces of paper saying I understood they weren’t giving me legal advice, basically said it depends. Apparently, the survivor benefits question is running the entire gambit. Some places are going to continue paying out on the theory that the person died. Others are insisting on full repayment, on the theory that the person is alive. You may need to talk to a lawyer. Insurance is a similar story, unfortunately.

Usually any violence would be a deal breaker, but wake up to see your spouse and sibling having sex...a punch to the face doesn't actually tell us much there. 

But let’s be honest, the real problem here is the relationship one.

Ordinarily, I’d say go talk to a therapist. But that’s not an option. Every therapist still practicing is booked for the next six months at least. This is an unprecedented situation at scale. But not on a smaller scale. Some books might provide some perspective? Enoch Arden, is one, if a bit mawkish for my taste. Or for a movie which once seemed ridiculous and now seems almost trifling, there’s always Double Jeopardy.

But your real question is what do you do? The answer to that question depends on two things. The first is, who do you want to be with? Only you can answer that, though the old coin flip then ‘are you disappointed’ trick can help sort that out. Just remember, both is actually a thing you may want (though they might not).

The other is what did you mean by 'our son'? Did you mean you and your first husband? You and your second husband? All three of you? When you know which ‘we’ you’re part of, a lot of this will be clearer.

Once you know who you want to be with, you know what to ask for and what to push for. Until then, you’re just swinging around in the dark, hoping to bump into a path forward. I would however put aside the notion of ‘fixing’ this. That’s not going to happen. Even if you are all truly happy with a poly arrangement, this is going to be an incredibly painful situation for a long time.

Good luck,

Agony Aunt of the Multiverse


End file.
